House System

Students in grades kindergarten through 8th grade participate in the Buist House System. Houses serve as communities for sporting events, community and service projects, peer support, rewards and consequences. Each house has its own name, color, and symbol. Sports events, positive behaviors and grades earn houses points. Negative behavior and discipline referrals cause a house to lose points.

The house system is a tried and true way to build a strong school community. A number of schools in the United States are adopting this model and it is already widely used in the U.K. The origins of the house system are trace back to Oxford, Yale and Harvard. Research indicates that house systems can have a very positive impact on the climate of a school:

“There has been a real shift in the school culture” thanks to the cross-sectional house system, said head teacher Barbara Rogers. “It is a family approach where younger students look up to the older ones who have, in turn, responded by helping them learn.”

“This is all achieved within an environment that promotes excellent relationships and respect for others.

“The house system has engendered supportive mentoring groups between younger and older students.”

-thecollegiateway.org

Purpose of the House System at Buist Academy:

to provide an ethical education

to develop the whole child within the academic setting

to create smaller, family like groups within the student body to which a student will belong for their entire time at Buist

to connect students of different ages

to build a relationship between the student’s family and the school which will remain constant, even as they change grade levels and teachers

to give each student at least one consistent adult who will support and advise them throughout their career at Buist

to provide a system for new students to be mentored and integrated into the student body

to instill responsibility in older students through responsibility within their houses

to motivate through competition between houses and incentives

to create a sense of belonging and ownership as houses are assigned responsibilities around the campus

to eliminate disconnect as students move from grade level to grade level and programme to programme

to decrease social/behaviour issues by building a sense of social responsibility and accountability